Send defenders into a panic as you explode towards them at top speed. The Nike Mercurial is fast – built for rapid attackers.
Your own pair of Mercurials can be ordered from Fanatics today. Get involved and glide past the enemy in a heartbeat.
The Science behind the Nike Mercurial
The Mercurial is Nike’s trailblazer; adored, tweaked and perfected for over 15 years.
If speed is your top footballing attribute, then push it to the max with your own pair of Mercurials – the fastest boots to come out of Nike’s 60+ year history.
Locked-in control.
Burst into open space with the ball tight to your feet and apply the deftest touch at the right moment. Your Mercurials are built from Nike’s Speed Control upper – this snugs onto your feet and minimises any wasted movements inside the boots, even at top speed.
Deadly touch.
Speed players only need a few touches on the ball before they’ve created a chance – make yours count. The Mercurial is built for pace but its dimpled Teijin synthetic is also designed to enhance your ball control. No wonder Real Madrid’s star man likes them so much.
Through-ball beacons.
Light up on your playmaker’s radar every time you make a run – the flashy two-tone colours of Nike’s Mercurial are designed to make you more visible on the pitch.
Vigorous pace.
Take a look in any major footy match and you’ll find a pacey customer wearing a pair of Mercurials (as we’ve covered - they’re easy to spot). Sprinters like the boots because they are so lightweight – built on top of a responsive fibreglass soleplate.
The Evolution of Nike Mercurial Football Boots
Speed has always been at the heart of Nike as a sportswear manufacturer. The company was founded on the engineering of lightweight footwear for Olympic sprinters.
In 1998, Nike crafted the world’s first pair of Mercurial football boots and placed them on the earthshattering feet of Ronaldo, who wore them throughout France ’98. The Brazilian striker netted four goals and set up another three on his path to the final.
It was Nike’s first real step towards enhancing speed on a football pitch and so the brand turned to its most cutting-edge technologies, even using synthetic materials to make the boot more lightweight.
Within four years, the engineers had developed a new breed of Mercurial – the Vapor. At the time, it was the lightest football boot in the world, made from an assortment of radical Nike inventions.
NikeSkin was used for the first time – a synthetic material used to provide all the benefits of kangaroo leather, while making the boot more lightweight and much stronger. The NikeFrame outsole was also introduced – modelled on the same designs used in Nike’s track-sprinting footwear.
In 2004, the next generation of Nike Mercurial Vapors was rolled out – this time moving up in weight as the boot was made from thicker material and was padded in the ankle area. A kangaroo leather version was also available to buy.
The third instalment of the Vapor series was brought in by 2006. This upgrade was made using Teijin microfibres – helping the boot to shape itself to its owner’s foot.
The Mercurial Vapor III had more padding in the heel, more durability all-round and was still somehow lighter than its predecessors (196 grams).
From that point on, the Mercurial would evolve in a fittingly rapid fashion – a new model has been released every year since.
Alongside the main ‘bloodline’ of Mercurial Vapors, the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly range has also been in development since 2009. Superfly boots are made using Nike’s Flywire technology – an intricate thread designed to provide a rigid structure to the boot and minimise its weight.
In the years since then, the ever-evolving Mercurial has kept to its original purpose – equipping speedsters with even more speed.
Today, you have a football boot that was designed for one Ronaldo and refined for another - a decade apart. The fact that two of the greatest players in history have conquered while wearing the footwear, makes it pretty hard to challenge the quality of Nike Mercurials.
Buy Nike Mercurial Boots from Fanatics
Harness the explosiveness of your feet by getting into the Mercurials and using Nike’s superior technology to add another gear to your sprint game.
Ordering is easy.
Click the Mercurials you want. Pick out your size from the dropdown menu. Type in the name that you’d like printed on the boot (optional). Add the pair to your basket and move on to the checkout stage.
Once your order’s finished, we’ll get your Mercurials delivered. You’ll soon be stepping into the boot of champions.